Multicurrency Support for QuickBooks

Description:

In 2006, a quarter-million U.S. small businesses were involved in international trade but QuickBooks users were forced to track their transactions in U.S. Dollars. A "multicurrency" effort was launched to enable QuickBooks users to work in any currency, provide daily exchange rates for foreign currencies, and educate users regarding GAAP implications of multicurrency transactions.

Almost every existing QuickBooks workflow had to be adjusted to incorporate multicurrency options. My designs leveraged existing standards (ISO 4217) and de facto standards (XE, Xencraft) for "currency codes" and "currency names". I created design patterns for currency formatting and propagated them throughout QuickBook’s workflows. An example of these patterns are seen when establishing a new bank account.

To enable multicurrency support, the user must authorize the use of multiple currencies and understand the consequences. QuickBooks then guides the small business owner through new and critically important experiences. For example, a special account was established to handle gains & losses due to exchange rate fluctuations during a transaction.